Travel By ?

Officials On Leave.

What Steamers May They Travel By ?

THERE was more than met the eye be hind this question, asked in the Aus tralian Parliament by Senator Dunn (Lang Labour) on October 19: “Will the Minister take steps to stop the practice of Federal Government ser vants employed in Papua and the Man dated Territory returning to Australia on leave in foreign sea-going vessels, while Australian vessels, manned with white crews, are in commission and operating under mail grants from the Federal Government?”

The Minister (Sir George Pearce) re plied: “It is considered that where fares are paid wholly by officers there is no justification for limiting their choice of means of transport. The matter is, how ever, being brought to the notice of the two administrations for consideration in connection with assistance granted to

officers towards the cost of fares when proceeding on recreation leave of ab sence.”

Editorial Note.

The question, of course, was inspired by one of the maritime labour unions; and it may interest the Senator to know that the main reason why officials from Rabaul travel by the E. and A. Line to Australia, instead of by Burns Philp steamers, is a condition imposed by trade unionism.

Officials in the tropics are accustomed to dining in comfort after seven o’clock —the nearer the meal to 8 p.m. the cooler and pleasanter it is. On the E. and A. Line, passengers are served with dinner at the civilised hour to which they are accustomed. On the Burns Philp steamers, where Australian trade union conditions are imposed on a help less directorate, passengers are driven in to dinner at 6 p.m.; and if they linger in the smoke-room for even ten minutes —-which they are very prone to do at that ungodly hour —an irate steward comes and bashes a gong at them.

This writer travelled recently on the well-found and comfortable “Macdhui,” and the foregoing was his experience. He heard a score of fellow-travellers declare that they would always travel E. and A. where they could, because of this trade-union tyranny regarding meal times. The stewards, for the most part, were excellent, well-trained men, who acknowledged the absurdity of the sys tem; but they were victims of it, just as much as the passengers.

The Burns Philp Company does every thing in its power to provide a comfort able transport service; but it cannot control trade unions. That is left to the loud-mouthed demagogues, of the type who destroyed the Commonwealth Line of steamers, and ask silly questions in Parliament.

The French sloop Aldebaran arrived in Suva, Fiji, from Papeete, Tahiti, via Wallis Island on October 13. The sloop sailed for New Caledonia on October 17, and arrived in Sydney on November 10.